


For the Love of the Moon

by Zorak23



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, EAD, EAD2021, Evil Author Day, Evil Author Day 2021, F/M, No underage, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Preview of Upcoming Work, Soulmates, Tags May Change, Unfinished, WIP, Werewolf Mates, Werewolf Remus Lupin, no update schedule
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:42:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29478648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorak23/pseuds/Zorak23
Summary: Remus had always feared the moon,but Moony had always loved it.Now Remus has a new reason to fear the moon:Moony has found his mate.
Relationships: Luna Lovegood/Remus Lupin
Comments: 14
Kudos: 21
Collections: Evil Author Musings





	For the Love of the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Evil Author's Day! Please enjoy this sneak peek of what I occasionally work on. This is unfinished, and has no update schedule.
> 
> This is a werewolf mate fic, but no relationship will happen between the two until both partners are of age. 
> 
> As always, Black Lives Matter and trans rights are human rights.
> 
> AlphaBeta Love: AmbiguousGoldfish/JacqP. All mistakes are my own, as I’ve completely changed things since it was last looked over.

**Chapter One**

  
He first met her on the train. 

Remus Lupin had been talked into taking the Defence post at Hogwarts by a desperate headmaster, worried for the safety of the boy-who-lived in the face of the traitor’s escape from Azkaban. Not that Remus was all that hard to convince, mind. The prospect of room and board, with as much as he could eat prepared by the exceptionally skilled house elves of Hogwarts, not to mention being provided with free access to the Wolfsbane potion… well. The decision was easy, wasn’t it? And that’s not even counting getting to see James’ son again.

The full moon had been the night before. He was exhausted and still hurting when he made his way onto the Hogwarts express, automatically taking the same compartment he and his friends had used all those years ago, the one they’d claimed for the Mauraders. The very last compartment in the very last car of the Express. Seven years worth of train rides, and here he was, fifteen years later, the last of the four, sitting in their compartment. The last _free_ one of the four, at least. 

Remus sighed, letting his memories wash over him as he leaned against the window and closed his eyes. He’d arrived rather early, so as to avoid the crowds on the platform. He was still so very tired. Maybe he could just take a bit of a kip…

* * *

After passing out chocolate to the children (James’ son! He’d just spoken to Harry!), Remus left the compartment to check on the other students. Dementors on the Hogwarts Express, now really! He found the Head Girl holding one off with a non-corporeal Patronus, protecting two first year students. He quickly cast his wolf Patronus and it tore through the dementor from behind, staying to guard the three girls. Remus ran by, shouting for them to lock themselves in a compartment, and ran to help the trolley witch who was also holding off a dementor with another non-corporeal Patronus. 

“I’ve this scabby bawbag, laddie, but there are five students in the trolley! Get the wee bairns to safety first!” she shouted at him as he cast his wolf once again. “Bolt, ye mangled fud!” she screeched at the dementor. Remus goggled at the normally mild-mannered witch, nearly losing his focus in his shock, then came back to himself and shoved the trolley into a compartment and locked and warded the door. He raced back to the elderly witch, who had slumped to the ground once the dementor had fled. Remus dug in his pocket for more chocolate, but she waved him away and pulled out some of her own. 

“Off with ye now, Professor. The students need you more than I,” she said. 

“You were brilliant,” Remus said reverently, and she waved him off. 

“Best keep that between us, aye? A dementor is no reason to use the words I chose to speak today, and in front of the children, too! I’m that ashamed, I am,” she muttered, and Remus chuckled as he kissed her cheek and moved on further down the train. 

In the next car, he found the Head Boy (a Weasley by the look of that hair) casting a weak non-corporeal shield, and judging by the strain on his face he’d been holding it for a while. Remus’ wolf reached him just as the last of the boy’s shield winked out and he fell to the floor. With the dementor discharged, Remus ran to the fallen boy. He sighed in relief. The boy, or young man, rather, was still breathing; he was simply exhausted. Remus lifted him in his arms and turned to the nearest compartment. 

The door opened for him, as if by magic. Remus was far too strained to process the scent that was calling to him, but as he hurried inside and gently laid the lad on the upholstered seat, he heard an ethereal voice say, “Thank you for saving us, sir.” 

Remus felt as if he’d been drenched in freezing cold water, yet at the same time lit with fire from within. He hesitated before turning to view the owner of the voice, scared of what he would see. He busied himself with arranging the young man on the seat, making sure he would be comfortable when he awoke, if only to prolong the moment before he would have to turn around. Gruffly, he bit out, “You’re quite welcome.”

“Percy held the last one off for a long time, you know,” the voice continued. “His shield was quite bright at the beginning, almost taking shape. There were three of them to start with. We were quite scared.” All of this was said in nearly a sing-song tone, one that belied any previous fear. Remus’ knuckles turned white where he gripped the bench seat, anger coursing through him at the thought of _her_ being afraid. 

“Right. I should make sure everyone else is safe. Look after him, if you would, and give him this when he wakes. Eat half of it yourself, please,” he managed to say as he stood and finally turned towards the voice that had filled his senses. He handed her a large square of chocolate, and as she took it from him, their fingers touched. 

Green eyes that flashed amber met pale, silvery ones, and a soft voice breathed out, “Oh, it’s you.” The girl gave him a wide smile, and he took a sharp breath. She was so… _young._ Her long, dirty blonde hair reached past her waist, and it was quite possible that he’d spied radishes at her ears. She was beautiful, and perfect, and _so gods-be-damned young._ He had to get out of there. Now. 

“Yes. Right. I’ll just, go. Eat the chocolate. It’ll help.” Remus made his escape, practically holding his breath as he moved past her to leave the compartment. He locked and warded the door once he’d left, and made his way towards the front of the train. He did not encounter any more dementors until he reached the engine room, where he assisted the conductor in fighting off the last of the cursed creatures. Why in the name of Merlin were none of the adults on the train able to cast a fully corporeal Patronus? Surely this should be required? He immediately amended his lesson plans for the sixth and seventh year students. They would now be starting with the Patronus Charm, especially since the minister, in all his wisdom, decided stationing dementors around the school was a good idea. Bloody wanker. 

Remus shot off a Patronus messenger to Dumbledore at Hogwarts, advising him of what had happened, and then sent one to Poppy Pomfrey as well. Having been on the receiving end of Poppy’s wand more than once for hiding injuries, he was not about to start his tenure by withholding information from her about the health of the students. He liked his bollocks just where they were, thanks very much. If Albus had a problem with that, well, he could just offer up his own to the mediwitch. Remus was keeping his safe. 

As the train started back up again, Remus made his way back down the cars, checking each and every compartment to make sure all the students were safe. He introduced himself over and over as the new Defence professor, and waved off the grateful thanks of many. He handed out more chocolate than he knew he had, and then even more than that. When he came upon the trolley witch, she winked and smiled at him. “Pockets full of chocolate, are they, laddie?”

“How…?” 

The stout witch laughed. “You warded up my trolley, and the children needed chocolate. I reckon you’ll be finding it in your pockets for quite some time, you will. Now. Get my trolley out, and let's free those bairns.”

Remus blinked at her. “Wouldn’t they have…”

“How’d you think I got five bairns to fit in a trolley, laddie? I transfigured them into liquorice whips first!”

Remus stared at her before bursting into laughter. He unwarded the compartment, then pulled out the trolley. The trolley witch opened the drawer that held the liquorice whips and pulled out two green, one blue, and two yellow sweets. She gently laid them on the ground, and cast _Reparifarge_ over them. Suddenly five terrified students were sitting up on the floor of the aisle, desperately gripping onto one another. 

“You’re safe! You’re safe,” Remus said quickly, crouching down to their level. “The trolly witch saved you all from the dementor.”

“Demen _tor?!”_ the boy with green trim on his cloak squeaked out. “There were four of them!”

Remus turned and looked up at the blushing witch with surprise. She shrugged in response. 

“And then, just when I thought I’d never be warm or happy again, it was like there was nothing but the smell of sweeties. I couldn’t even feel my heart beating!” One of the girls with yellow trim added. 

The blue-trimmed boy asked, “What the devil _were_ those things?”

“They’re called dementors, and they’re the foul creatures that normally guard Azkaban Prison. I’m sure we’ll find out soon why they attacked the train. Here, eat some chocolate, it’ll help,” Remus told them, handing out more squares. 

“Thank you, sir,” they all chorused, as they slowly stood, taking stock of themselves and assuring each other that they really were alright. Remus noted that the two boys seemed especially concerned with the safety of the three girls, hugging each one tightly in turn, and slapping each other on the back heartily. It seems all it takes is a near-death experience to cross house lines, he mused. 

“Don’t thank me,” he replied. “I got here after the fact. The trolley witch is the one who saved you all.”

The students looked at the elderly witch in awe. “Thank you, ma’am, so very much,” the smaller Hufflepuff girl said. “I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid I don't know your name.”

“Do you know, my dear, that it’s been so long since someone has asked me my name that I’m quite sure I’ve forgotten,” the trolley witch replied. “Now off with you all, back into your compartment. Let’s get you all settled with some cakes and sweets. And yes, yes, Professor, lots of chocolate as well.” 

Remus watched with a faint smile as she deftly herded the children back into the compartment he’d stashed the trolley in a short time ago. It couldn’t have been more than half an hour, yet it seemed as if days had passed. When the trolley witch finally returned, her face flushed from the many hugs and cheek kisses she’d received, he said, “You know, I thought _Reparifarge_ was only for incomplete transfigurations.”

The trolley witch looked at him, surprised, and said, “It is, dear.”

Remus’ brows drew together. “They were perfect liquorice whips!”

She put her hands on her hips. “If that were true, laddie, how would I have found them after the danger had passed? I mussed the transfiguration just enough that their house colors showed through, making them easy to find. If some had been Gryffindors, I reckon there’d been red whips as well.”

Remus gaped at her. “You managed to successfully partially transfigure five terrified students so convincingly that the only difference between them and the real thing was the color, scoop them up and hide them in your trolley, all whilst fighting off four dementors with a non-corporeal Patronus?”

The elderly witch sniffed at him. “I’ve been doing this job since 1832. You don’t work with children that long without learning a trick or two,” she said imperiously. 

“A _trick_ or two?” Remus said, astounded. “How are you not a professor? Bugger that, why aren’t you running the DMLE?” 

“Language, dear.”

Remus gave her an incredulous look, and she had the grace to look away before giggling. She patted him on the arm. “Go check the rest of the wee bairns, there’s a good lad. I’ve the rest of this car; your pockets will refill as much as you need. Get some chocolate into everyone, dear.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly, then kissed her cheek once again before hurrying off. As he entered the next car, Remus took a deep breath. _She_ was here. This was _her_ car. He both intensely needed to see her, and desperately wanted to run away. _‘Why is she so bloody young?’_ he wondered as he moved from compartment to compartment, passing out reassurances, introductions, and chocolate. 

When he finally came to _her_ compartment, he stopped before unwarding it and entering. He placed his hand on the door for a moment, leaning into it and pausing to gather his thoughts. Finally deciding that he couldn’t just leave her be, especially since she was with the possibly still incapacitated Head Boy, he squared his shoulders and unwarded the door. He knocked softly, telling himself that if no one answered, he’d walk on. He hoped he’d knocked softly enough not to be heard. He hadn’t. 

_She_ slid the door open just a bit, peering around the edge with what seemed to be a curious expression, but Remus thought he could read the vestiges of fear on her delicate face. When she saw him, however, her eyes lit up. “Oh, it’s you!” she said, repeating her earlier words and pulling the door open fully. “Percy’s doing ever so much better, sir. Thank you for the chocolate. Pity it does nothing for wrackspurts, though. You seem to be surrounded by them.”

Remus blinked at her, having no idea how to respond. From further within the compartment he heard a strained voice call out, “Luna, must you go on so?” He peered around _her_ , his eyes taking a moment to leave her face before flicking towards the owner of the deeper voice. When he saw the red haired boy, sitting with his head in his hands, Remus entered the compartment and knelt near him. 

“Here now, have you eaten enough chocolate?” Remus asked, handing him another square. “You managed to exhaust yourself with that charm; stellar work, by the way, you’ll be awarded points as soon as we get to school, but I think you might need a bit of a lie down until we get there.”

Percy slumped slowly over, nodding on the way down. “Thank you, sir. Luna said you carried me in here?”

“I did, yes. You nearly had it defeated, though. You protected all the students in this carriage for quite some time; you should be very proud.”

The tips of the boy’s ears burned red at the praise, reminding Remus of a pair of twins he’d been friendly with several years ago. “You wouldn’t happen to be one of Arthur and Molly’s boys, would you?”

“Yes, sir. Percy Weasley. I’m the third eldest; this is my seventh year.”

“And Head Boy, too. Molly must be that proud. I’m Remus Lupin, the new Defence Professor. I’ll be sure to send her an owl tonight, letting her know of your heroics today.”

Percy’s entire face flamed this time. “You don’t have to do that, sir,” he tried to protest. 

“Nonsense. I knew your uncles, your mother’s brothers, quite well, Percy. If she’s anything like the Prewett twins were, she’ll want to hear all about it. I know they’d be right proud of you, as well.” 

“I wouldn’t want to worry her, sir.”

Remus patted him on the shoulder as he stood. “Maybe I’ll just send an owl to your father, then. Let him decide how much she should know.”

“That’s really not necess…”

“Percy. I understand where you’re coming from, I do. But _you_ must understand where I’m coming from as well. There were five people on this entire train capable of casting the Patronus Charm, and two of them students. Head Boy and Head Girl, but still, students.”

Percy looked down. “Mine wasn’t corporeal, sir,” he admitted quietly. 

“Mine was the only one that was,” Remus replied, and Percy looked up in surprise. “Expect that to be one of the first lessons we cover in class, Mister Weasley,” Remus said in his best professorial voice, and the boy grinned up at him. “In all honesty, you did more than anyone but the trolley witch. Bit of a ringer, that one.” With a distracted smile, he shook his head in disbelief. “But for a seventeen-year-old wizard—still in school—to be able to hold off three dementors? All whilst protecting an entire train car full of students? If it were up to me, lad, you’d be awarded an Order of Merlin. As it is, I’ll be pushing for a Special Services to the school award. Just rest for the remainder of the trip, if you can. Madam Pomfrey will meet the train at the Hogsmeade Station; I want her to have a look at you before you head up to the castle.”

Face now redder than his hair, Percy said, “I wouldn’t want anyone to make a fuss over me, sir. I’m sure I can make it to the castle on my own.”

Remus raised a brow at the young man. “You wouldn’t be arguing with a Professor before school has even started, would you, Mister Weasley?” 

Percy’s eyes widened in shock, then he grinned up at the man when he realized the comment was made in jest. “No sir. I’ll just wait here with Luna until Madam Pomfrey comes to see us.”

Remus immediately turned to look at _her._ “You were hurt?” he asked, grabbing her by the shoulders and inspecting her for any injuries, turning her small frame this way and that. 

She gently patted his cheek and said, “I’m alright, sir; I just twisted my ankle when Percy shoved me back inside the compartment.” Remus growled low in his throat and sent a look filled with loathing towards the young man he’d been praising only moments before. Luna reached up with her other hand and used both to turn his face back towards her own. “He _saved_ me. I’m alright.” 

Remus felt the same freezing cold and burning heat run through his body at her touch, and nodded once as he met her eyes. He helped her to sit on the bench (and if it was on the opposite side from the one who’d hurt her, well, that was purely coincidence), and knelt before her. He gently took her small foot in his large hand, removed her shoe and then her sock, and quietly cast a healing spell over the swollen ankle. He told himself he was making sure the healing was complete, and that he wasn’t still holding her foot just to prolong their connection. 

“Oh, thank you, Professor. That feels much better,” she said.

“You’re…” Remus had to stop to clear his suddenly dry throat. “You’re quite welcome. I must apologise, I don’t believe I caught your name.”

“Luna Lovegood, sir. It’s very nice to meet you,” she replied, holding out her hand to shake. 

Remus frowned slightly, realizing he’d have to let go of her ankle to shake her hand. He reluctantly did so, then stood before taking her tiny hand in his own. “Er, yes. Nice to meet you as well, Lu- Miss Lovegood. As I said earlier, I’m Remus Lupin, the new Defence Professor. I must leave you both now, and continue making sure everyone is safe. Please do stay in the compartment until we arrive, if you can.” He released her hand, bowed slightly to them both, then left the compartment and slid the door closed behind him. Taking a deep breath, he leaned against the wall next to the door, and whispered, “Fuuuuck…”

* * *

After the Welcome Feast, Remus joined the other professors for a staff meeting. He had nearly tuned out the rantings of Minerva, Pomona, and Filius, who were still protesting the presence of the dementors and demanding that Dumbledore do something about it, when Albus’ voice cut through his inner monologue. 

“Remus, please tell me why you felt it necessary to inform Poppy of the incident on the train as well as myself? I feel that the situation could have been handled much more calmly had we waited for the students to reach the castle as usual, rather than having a frantic mediwitch demanding each student be cleared before exiting the train.”

There was silence in the room as many of the other professors simply gaped at the Headmaster. Remus’s eyes flicked towards Severus; although there was much bad blood between the two men, he knew that Severus had spent nearly as much time in the Hospital Wing as he had whilst attending school together. Severus raised a sardonic brow at the man, the corner of his mouth lifting in the barest hint of a smirk. He nodded minutely at Remus, who grinned slightly back at his one-time nemesis. 

“If I may, Albus, I believe I’d prefer to show you,” Remus finally answered the man. He flicked his wand, silently conjuring a Messenger Patronus, which ran off through the wall behind the headmaster. A short two minutes later, the floo in the staff room flared green, and an irate mediwitch stepped through. 

“Why did he tell me?” Poppy screeched. “You asked him _why_ did he _tell_ me?” she sent a stinging hex at the aged wizard, who was staring at the Matron in shock. “Remus Lupin is a _good_ boy, who _cares_ about his students! _That’s_ why he told me, you doddering old fool!” Each sentence was compounded by another stinging hex. “I saw _twelve_ [hex] twisted ankles, _eighteen_ [hex] serious bruises, _five_ [hex] students who had been partially _transfigured_ [hex] into liquorice whips, _two_ [hex] cases of near complete magical exhaustion, and _seven_ [hex] people who were _quite_ [hex] _nearly_ [hex] _KISSED_ [hex hex hex]!”

If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Remus was certain that the sight of Albus Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, first class, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, being driven around the staff room by an incensed mediwitch who was screeching at him and sending increasingly strong stinging hexes his way, would be one of the funniest things he’d ever seen. The poor man was so startled by the sudden vitriol being levied towards him by the normally mild-mannered woman that he didn’t even pick his wand up from the desk before leaping to his feet. 

“Who would have ever thought that a parchment file would be an unsuccessful shield against a stinging hex?” Minerva leaned over to say dryly to both Remus and Pomona, both of whom snorted at the Deputy Headmistress. 

Filius spoke up then. “Perhaps this would be a good lesson for the students to learn in their Defence class; what physical objects can be used as shields?” he mused, both entertained by the sight before him, and curious as to what the answers would be. 

“Perhaps the Headmaster could guest lecture about the unsuitability of parchment?” Rolanda added, snickering as she spoke. 

“I cannot imagine Albus agreeing to such a thing,” Severus sneered. As several heads turned towards him in censure for ruining the fun, he added, “I do, however, have a pensive that I would be willing to let the new… Professor… borrow, so that all of the students can see for themselves the fallacy of using physical objects over magical shields.” This was said so dryly, and the man’s focus was so completely on the straightening of his sleeves, that it took a moment for the other teachers to register exactly what the dour man was offering.

The laughter started slowly, as each adult was trying not to call attention to their discussion. It was only when Aurora’s silent giggles sent her sliding off her chair and onto the floor that everyone started really laughing. Minerva conjured several glass vials and began passing them out, Remus protested that there was no way he could show even the seventh year class what was happening, and Argus assured him that the memories would be saved for the end-of-term staff party. 

“We might show this one at every staff party,” he added. Remus grinned widely, hopeful that his year at Hogwarts would be even better than he’d thought; it appeared that he was making friends, as well. _And_ he was still in possession of his bollocks.

* * *

Remus tiredly slipped into his comfortable bed, ready to put the long day behind him. Unfortunately, sleep would be a long time coming. He couldn’t seem to turn his mind from the vision in his head of a small blonde girl, dressed in Ravenclaw blue. 

_‘Of all the people in the world, why did I have to find my mate at Hogwarts? When I’m a professor, and she’s a student? Not even an older student, at that. She’s a second year. My mate is fucking twelve years old.’_

**Author's Note:**

> I desperately wanted to call this story ‘Moon Moon’, and need everyone to know that. However, “it’s not a crack!fic, dumbass” may have been said; thus you have just read ‘For the Love of the Moon’ instead.


End file.
